The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-12-24

All pIouu! Aor, proud WuZn no name
fit ter call it! l hearn Miss Kate saw
one day how Marse Ned wuz proud as
Lufiser. Now. l doan know who dat
is, but he MUS been mighty proud er
Miss Kate wouldn' never foun' no 'zem-
blance tween him an Marse Ned.
Well. dem two stood on de bank an
jos looked straight inter each unne r' $
eyes. an while dey wuz stan'in' dere
de boat cum long, an Marse Ned he jes
hor bot Miss Kate's hans q mint
an den he jos dash down de stage
plank like es Of he wus mad. Miss
Kate she never said a word, but jes
stan ldere an look till yo' conldn'
see dc boat. Den she turn an look at
me, jos like her heart was breakin'
an her big brown eyes seem ter say
ter ME: oh, Luce, he's gone, he's
gone Den l TUX her an pettcd her
awhile, an bime-by she wuz herself
again.
mot long after Marse Ned LEI,
Miss Hates pa wuz killed in a fight
wild ole Majah Ellis, an dc ole mis-
sus she TUX it mighty hard kaso de
Majah wuz from up Mort. But ole
missus she run de place jes same.
Somehow bout dat time Marse Ned's
letter did'n cum ter Miss Kate, an
she gotter lukin' poly an w'iter an
w'iter ebbery day. Things wuz get
tin powerful bad when l hearn
Marse Ned wuz comm home. l tole
Miss Kate, an she kin'er pick'd up u
bit, but seem like she didn' hev no
heart. Dere wuz Kunnel Carter, dat
wuz hangin' 'roun' her all de time an
beggin' her ter marry him, but she
jes' paid no 'tention ter him,
jcs' let him talk, an tole him
NO all de time. Den Marse Ned
Gun home. But de fus' day he wuz
hyar ole missus an him gotter talkin'
bout de people Norf, an Marse Ned
he lowed he had sum mighty good
fren's up thar. Lawd! When he said
dat, ole missus she stood up at de
table, an her eyes dey flash'd an
shine, an she look'd straight at Marse
Ned an sez: :Ef yo' got so many good
fren's up dere wy doan' yer stay wild
'em? W. doan' wan no dirty Yam
KEGS down hyar, an we doan' wan ter
see dere fren's in our house. Marse
Ned he didn' kno' what ter do. He
jes' look'd fus' at ole missus an den
at young missus. But ole missus she
jes' stood up, like she was waitin' for
him ter go, an she wuz, fur prity soon
Marse Ned got up, an he was jes' as
white as cr g'os', an he sez kinder low
an quiet like: Il on'erstan's yer,
madame an he walked ter dc do an
turn, an, den giv'er mighty fine bow
an den walk right outen dc house.
Ole missus she drop back in her chair
an Miss Kate she stood up q mint an
den put out her little hans an den jes'
tainted like she wuz dead"
Here the old darby paused as
though she lived again in the scene.
Not q word broke the momentary
stiffness until Marie said, in a low
voice, with just a trace of tears in it:
go on. Lucy"
AFTER dat" continued the old
for a long time Marse Ned neb-
Der cum near dc house. But he an
Miss Kate was writin' notes. an onct
now an den dey wud meet in de fiel.
One day l WIZ walkin' down by dc
sugar house, an Marsc Ned he rode
up by me an seq: Luce, yo' kno'
why l amt ben to der house, but l
wanttcr tell yo' somfin'. Miss Kate
mes goin' ter IL away an get
married, an l wan yo' ter help her
fix things Mt dc house, When l hearn
dat I got SC weak l mos fell down.
Ned he stedid me an tole me
how it WIZ all fixed for Christmas eve,
when ole missus wud be at de sugar
mill an he had done hired de boat ter
wait fur him at dc landin' till dey got
dcre. an de preacher wuz ter be on
der boat ter marry 'em. l tole Marse
Ned 'twarn' no use; ole missus wuz
,huah ter fin ct out an stop it, but he
hear bout it, and seq l mus do
ike he axed Of 1didn' wanttcr see Miss
Kate sick an mcbbe die. He lux
awful white an l jes' couldn' stan 1t
nm seq I'd do all l cud, fur it mos
killed me ter see Miss Kate lookin' so
an po'. Well. Miss Kate an me
fixed all de things an l made JEFF, my
do man. tote dc trunk down Ter dc
.andin' house early Christmas v an
me dc key.
"Shuah nuff. ole missus went down
ter do sugar house like she alters did.
nm fore she had got out O sight Marse
Ned cum up ter do do in his buggy
ter de tastes mare on de coas',
an / got in wi dem two an we went
lynn ter do river. Miss Kate, she
nebbcr sed a word. jis sot quiet an
white. like she wuz 'fraid. but gwino
.er do it ennyhow. But Lawd! when
We gottcr de river dcy warn't no boat
n sight. Marse Ned looked at his
nm IL was pas' time for de boat,